Dodgers: The bigger threat between the Diamondbacks and Rockies

After the Dodgers’ sweep of the Rockies this past weekend, they have given themselves a 1 ½ game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks and a 4 ½ game lead over the Rockies. But, it’s still early so don’t get too comfortable Dodgers nation because both are right on our heels.

The best division in baseball is the NL West as it hosts the Dodgers (51-27), Rockies (47-32), and Diamondbacks (49-28). There’s no need to discuss the Padres (31-45) and Giants (27-51) as they are 19.5 and 24.5 games back, respectively.

Arizona, Colorado, and Los Angeles have been flip flopping for the top spot all year, and as each team continues their success, we shouldn’t expect anything different all season.

These are the three best teams in the NL and three of the four best teams in all of baseball overall (record-wise). The real question here, however, is who is the bigger threat, the Diamondbacks or the Rockies?

*Statistics are of June 27

Starting Lineups

A few weeks back, I wrote a piece on the Rockies and their newfound success this season. The team is led by their potent offense that is highlighted by MVP candidates Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado.

The Rockies usually have an offense that can hang with the best of them, but this year they have found prolonged success rather than flaming out. It’s more than likely that Mark Reynolds will come back down to earth as he currently owns an unsustainable .299/.389/.544 slash line. But the team can improve if Reynolds slumps, as Carlos Gonzalez has looked terrible to start the season and is playing himself out of a lot of money this offseason.

Look for Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado, DJ LeMahieu, and Mark Reynolds to continue to lift this offense, with the help of Ian Desmond and Trevor Story. The Rockies own a .270 team batting average, which is fourth best in the league and good enough to keep up with the Dodgers’ potent offense.

Arizona has seemingly been the quietest team in the division, but they have been sticking around. The team relies heavily on Paul Goldschmidt as he is putting up another MVP-caliber season (.332/.447/.606, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 68 R) and looks to be the frontrunner for the award. Jake Lamb is continuing off a strong 2016 season with his 16 home runs and .379 OBP.

Behind the two best hitters for Arizona sit a few guys who you wouldn’t expect to be hitting as well as they have. David Peralta is a good example with his .492 SLG%. They have also gotten great production from Brandon Drury, who his hitting right under .300 for the season and is tied for the team lead with Goldy in doubles with 19.

On paper, the Diamondbacks have been over-performing as an offense, but I’m certainly not going to count them out. They have scored the 5^th most runs in the league at 406 and have been missing A.J Pollock who has been on the DL multiple times.

You can’t go wrong with either offense, but in my opinion, the Rockies seem to have a more balanced lineup.

Advantage: Colorado Rockies

Starters

The Rockies currently have the 15th best starter’s ERA in baseball at 4.56 and considering where they have been over the past handful of seasons, they have been a huge surprise this year.

Their ace, Jon Gray, hasn’t played since early on in the season due to injury so when he returns, he will add to the youngsters that have carried them this far.

Antonio Senzatala and Kyle Freeland are both candidates for Rookie of the Year and have been the backbone of this team. Tyler Chatwood and Tyler Anderson have been wildly inconsistent to start the season, but they can hold their own until the bullpen arrives. More on that later.

Considering half the games this team plays is at Coors, they have been doing just fine. Like I said when Jon Gray returns they will get even stronger. Who knows, they might even acquire a big arm at the deadline.

The Diamondbacks aren’t impressed though as they have the best starting rotation with a 3.45 ERA.

Old friend Zack Greinke has been leading the way with his resurgent season as he currently owns a 3.14 ERA and has brought his name up into Cy Young conversations again. As good as Greinke has been, his teammate Robbie Ray has been one-upping him as he owns a 2.87 ERA and has been the team’s best starter.

Taijuan Walker is looking like a formidable option after coming over from the Mariners and has been able to keep his ERA under four. Patrick Corbin and a combination of spot starters have rounded out Arizona’s rotation. They have not been as successful as the first three guys, but they are aided by a great offense and bullpen.

The Diamondbacks have the best rotation in baseball, statistically, which is no slight to Colorado, and Ray plus Greinke put the D-backs on another level.

Advantage: Arizona Diamondbacks